Comparison

Simulon vs ILW LightMapper

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Simulon

Bring your imagination to life by placing custom or real-world objects into augmented reality. Create lifelike images and videos by describing actions, no animation skills required. Save your creations for future projects.

Highlights
  • Create from words, photos, or designs
  • Clone real-world objects
  • Place subjects in augmented reality
  • Direct actions to create videos
  • AI rendering for lifelike scenes
  • Personal library for subjects
Read full description

Simulon. The camera for your imagination. Bring imagined characters, real objects and your own designs into the world around you. Compose with your camera, capture a lifelike image and turn it into a video by describing what happens next. No 3D or animation experience needed. CREATE FROM AN IDEA Start with words, a photo or your own design. Turn a sketch into a character or take a concept off the page and into a real setting. CLONE REALITY Create from photos of something real, whether it's your pet, a favourite car or a sculpture. Keep its familiar look or imagine something different. Give your pet a new outfit, shrink a car onto your desk or bring a statue to life. MAKE THE WORLD YOUR SET Place your subject in augmented reality. Adjust its size and position, then move around to find your angle. AI rendering brings it into the scene with lifelike lighting, shadows and reflections. DIRECT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Describe how your subject moves and what happens in the scene to create a video. From a small gesture to an unexpected adventure, you direct the action without animating by hand. Keep your subjects in a personal library and return to them in new locations and new stories. Make something just for fun, develop an idea or create something to share with the world. GET STARTED Try Simulon with starter assets and included free usage. Creating custom assets requires a paid plan. Simulon Plus and Pro offer additional features and monthly usage. Usage limits apply. Shape reality.

About

ILW LightMapper

Transform sculptures with animated light using this projection mapping tool. Import your videos or use the built-in library to calibrate and apply visuals. Features include multiple grids, corner offsets, and warp painting for precise alignment and dynamic effects.

Highlights
  • Video Import (.mp4 / H.264)
  • Downloadable Artwork Library
  • Multiple Grids
  • Corner Offsets & Global Offset Control
  • Global Warp Painting Tool
  • Per Grid Masking
  • Timeline Scrubbing
Read full description

LightMapper is a beginner-friendly projection mapping tool for iPhone, iPad and Mac, designed for artists, creators, and anyone exploring light-based art. Choose from a library of artwork, built-in animated shaders and free online videos, or import your own videos. Calibrate your projection with intuitive controls, then cast it wirelessly to transform any surface with animated light. You can save your setups so everything is ready exactly how you left it each time you return. LightMapper includes a growing library of downloadable visuals, with new artwork added over time. FEATURES CONTENT & LIBRARY • Browse and download projection visuals directly in the app • Built-in animated shaders with adjustable speed and scale • Search and download free online videos • My Imports: your own videos, organized in one library CASTING • Cast your projection wirelessly over AirPlay • Keep casting while the app is minimized in picture-in-picture SETUP & CALIBRATION • Add multiple grids for complex projection setups • Four-point corner adjustment for precise alignment • Touch and drag each grid to position • Two finger scale and rotation touch controls CREATIVE TOOLS • Warp Painting – apply localized distortion to match surfaces (global) • Masking – additive and subtractive masks. Use built-in shapes or build your own library of custom shapes from images (per-grid) • Color Controls – adjust hue, saturation, and brightness (per-grid or global) • Speed Controls – slow down or speed up visuals (per-grid or global) • Transparent Backgrounds – set black to be transparent for layering (per-grid or global) WORKFLOW & CONTROL • Timeline scrubbing for video playback (per-grid or global) • Undo support while editing • Grid overlay for alignment PROJECT MANAGEMENT • Save, rename, duplicate and delete your setups, and switch between them easily • Export a project as a file and import it on another iPhone, iPad or Mac • Projects keep their proportions across different screen shapes PERFORMANCE & SETTINGS • Edge smoothing toggle for softer or sharper visuals • Screen resolution and cast quality controls for performance vs sharpness INTERFACE • Clean, sci-fi inspired UI designed for creative workflows

Screenshots

Simulon4 screens
ILW LightMapper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ILW LightMapper at 100% against Simulon's 58%. ILW LightMapper also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.1) and device support (4 vs 2). Simulon's advantage is ratings volume (38 vs 7). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Simulon sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and ILW LightMapper sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ILW LightMapper holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simulon has 38 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Simulon's written reviews are positive against 100% of ILW LightMapper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simulon ships an update weekly, ILW LightMapper every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Simulon versus ILW LightMapper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimulonILW LightMapper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (38 ratings)4.3 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings38 — better7
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB368 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSimulonStuart Griese

Customer experience

Simulon

All ratings38 ratings
Positive78.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative37.5%

ILW LightMapper

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Simulon

Subscriptions5
  • Plus$14.991 Month
  • Plus7 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Core$29.001 Month
Show 2 more
  • Pro$39.991 Month
  • Pro7 Days trial$55.001 Month
One-time5
  • 250 credits$4.99
  • 1,000 credits$18.99
  • 1,000 credits$19.99
Show 2 more
  • 2,500 credits$44.99
  • 2,500 credits$49.99
2 purchases

ILW LightMapper

One-time2
  • Support Development$2.99
  • Support Development$9.99

Questions

Is Simulon free?
Simulon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ILW LightMapper free?
ILW LightMapper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simulon or ILW LightMapper?
ILW LightMapper is rated higher. Simulon averages 4.1 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while ILW LightMapper averages 4.3 from 7 ratings.
Do Simulon or ILW LightMapper have ads?
Neither Simulon nor ILW LightMapper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simulon or ILW LightMapper?
Simulon ships an update weekly, and ILW LightMapper every 2 weeks. Most recently, Simulon was updated on November 12, 2026 and ILW LightMapper on November 12, 2026.

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